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Big Bears of Doom
Over the past couple of years, Ethan Nicolle has made a name for himself as the artist for Axe Cop, a full-color comic book series written by Ethan’s pre-teen brother Malachai Nicolle. Now, Ethan is branching out as both writer and artist of a new on-line creation called Bearmageddon. Here’s how he describes it on the web site: “Bearmageddon is a story about a few every-day twenty-somethings getting caught up in an all-out war on mankind by grizzly bears. That’s all I’m going to say for now because I don’t want to spoil anything.” Uh, gee, thanks! All that we can tell is that the bears who attack humanity in this comic do so in some of the most bizarre mutant forms. You’ll have to see them to know what we mean. Bearmageddon updates every Wednesday and Friday. The image below is available as a poster, and a t-shirt is currently in the works.
image c. 2012 by Ethan Nicolle
Categories: News
![Radiant Arctic Fox [X-Post from /r/pics]](http://c.thumbs.redditmedia.com/1BSr_6MoGQaHsEdb.jpg "Radiant Arctic Fox [X-Post from /r/pics]")
Rocky Mountain Fur Con (Help?)
I'm going to RMFC, and it's my first con. Does anyone have any tips? Anything I should definitely do or avoid? I'm just kind of overwhelmed, but totally excited.
submitted by weaselgopher[link] [13 comments]
Categories: News
[Series Reboot]Live From the Hop Inn Episode 209
Author: Harvi We’re rebooting the podcast! Now you can take part in the Hop Inn from the beginning! When we catch up to the current episode we’ll update our iTunes Feed to point over here instead of the old, soon to be gone, site. We’ll be adding more information and links as this site progresses [...]
[Series Reboot]Live From the Hop Inn Episode 209
Categories: News
FursonaPod Ep. 43 – When Does the Fandom Go too Far?
Author: http://media.podcastingmanager.com/5/7/1/2/6/172469-162175/Media/FursonaPod%20Ep.%2043%20-%20When%20Does%20the%20Fandom%20go%20too%20far.mp3?ref=rss Find the full article here: FURSONAPOD.COM The contents of this Podcast may have adult language and adult themes. The content is not produced by Furry News Network, but is posted for your convenience.
FursonaPod Ep. 43 – When Does the Fandom Go too Far?
Categories: News
We lost a hero in our fandom
Almost all the time I post for the funny or the news in the fandom’s entertainment. But, tonight I come to you with deep regret and sympathy for a tragedy that struck Sacramento, NM almost 2 weeks ago.
In the night-time hours Gemily and her boyfriend Harison Long-Randall, known as “Elden” to us in the fandom were walking across the street in their neighborhood with their 4 dogs. When Paul William Walden on heavy drugs flew down the 35MPH street at 80MPH and struck the group, Elden pushed his girlfriend from the speeding car without headlights on, however he suffered serious injuries and all 4 dogs were killed on the scene. Mr. Walden then kept driving on like the scum bag he is and police later caught up with him. Walden had a history (like most do in America) of being in out of court for other issues. This time however Walden will likely be locked away from a long time (if not for life). As of July30th we lost Elden from his injuries and he will be simply known as a hero.
If you wish to donate to the family you may do so on their PayPal (longrandallwestfund@gmail.com).
You can make out checks to the Harison Long-Randall/Gemily West Fund and mail them to Pam Dinsmore, community affairs director, The Sacramento Bee, 2100 Q St., Sacramento, CA 95816.
For more on the story see here.
Special thanks to FNN for the pic.
Categories: News
First time Furry Convention attendee..
So.. what do I expect? I'm fairly sure it'll be a lot like most other conventions I've attended, but with the overall Furry theme. I'm just.. so nervous. My Other has been the person who has been my major support through me learning and accepting things, and with me learning about my fursonas as well.
I guess I'm really just nervous, overly shy, and I'm looking for more information, as naturally, I want to know what I'm going to be in for. FYI, I'll be going to Midwest FurFest, and one of my main missions is to find a good pair of ears and tail, and maybe help me relax so I can stop trying to climb up walls, and just get excited and bouncy instead.
submitted by liused[link] [22 comments]
Categories: News
Plush Life - The Bold Italic - San Francisco
Standing outside the Stud at about 10 p.m., I attempt to tape construction-paper bunny ears to a pair of old sunglasses. Suddenly, a seven-foot tall, shirtless unicorn strides past with glowing blue eyes, rippling fiberglass abs, and an ankh tattoo on his furry bicep. It is the most stunning costume I have ever seen.
I look at my sad, home-brewed bunny ears; they’re like a tuxedo T-shirt at a black-tie gala. What am I doing?
http://www.thebolditalic.com/Jesse_Hirsch/stories/1982-plush-life
Last October, as my birthday party wound down, two mischievous friends suggested we migrate over to Frolic, a monthly event where furries from all over the Bay converge. I was nowhere near drunk enough. “So you’re suggesting I spend my birthday at a gay nightclub, gawking at a bunch of guys in animal costumes? I have a better idea: not doing that.”
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a little cultural tourism as much as the next guy – monster truck rallies, Ice Capades, etc. – but this was too much. My loose understanding of furry-dom was that people dress up like sports mascots and have freaky anthropomorphic sex. That’s kind of a private thing. It struck me these folks might want one safe night where they didn’t have to deal with outsiders.
So we skipped Frolic that night, but my amigos wouldn’t let it drop. Over the next month, they assured me we would approach the event with maximum sensitivity, and the moment we felt like intruders, we’d bail. They knew they’d planted the seed, and curiosity would get the best of me. I caved.
After the blasé ticket taker stamps our hands with a fluorescent paw, it takes roughly two minutes to feel overwhelmed. The Stud is a Ralph Bakshi cartoon come to life, a psychedelic Noah’s Ark of garish upright mammals. Dozens of furries are grinding, bouncing, and canoodling while club music is spun by a DJ in a pink and green bunny suit. Grainy old cartoons and sinister clips from Donnie Darko loop on the wall. In the middle room, a trio of foxes dry-humps on the pool table amidst piles of stuffed animals. A blind man wearing a rubber suit and leopard headdress canes his way through the crowd.
Suddenly, a long-haired feline the color of a cherry Popsicle locks me in his sights. Dragging his oversized paw down my chest, he growls out a provocative, “Me-ow!” I need a drink.
After a pint glass of gin (Stud barkeeps are brutally generous), my fear is replaced by swelling appreciation for the furries’ mad artistry. An upright horse is dressed in full bus-casual: hooves extended from a pinstriped shirt that is carefully tucked into polyester slacks. A badass wolf wears acid-washed jeans, a leather jacket, and a T-shirt that says “Furr Fagg.” A posse of scary dudes don rubber Doberman masks paired with S&M hardware or skintight wetsuits. I see a dejected-looking skunk moping about like post-heartbreak Pepé Le Pew. One sporty tiger jaunts around in a hoodie (my friend suggests it’s a Treyvon Martin tribute). A wounded giraffe wears a bandage.
But let’s not forget the foxes, lots and lots of foxes. There are foxes with menacing snarls, winking foxes, and foxes with goofy grins. There’s a lady fox, a motocross fox, a Robin Hood fox, and a fox dressed as a Boy Scout. One fox is in swim trunks with a bulge the size of a small dog. A fox with glowing eyes perches on a barstool surveying the crowd with detached arrogance. He has reason to be cocky: We later see him talking, his animatronic jaw moving in sync with every word. This is some next-level shit.
Frolic is the creation of Aaron Merritt, aka DJ Neon Bunny. Aaron is an organizer of Bunny Jam, the now-defunct dance party staged in quirky, off-brand locations (like abandoned fire stations and porn warehouses). The jams were invitation-only, costume-mandatory – if you showed up sans costume, you’d get “bunnified” at the door. There were strong sexual undertones: Stud co-owner Mikey McElhaney says the bunnies hooked up like, well, bunnies.
Aaron also used to organize Further Confusion, the annual furry convention in San Jose. This massive event is about networking and merch, a place to connect with costumers and learn about the newest innovations in fur. There are panel discussions and workshops; everything is fairly PG.
With Frolic, Aaron tries to create an event that spices up Further Confusion’s approach with the free-spirited, dance party feel of Bunny Jam.
A flag on the wall proclaims Yiff!, a verb that can mean anything from snuggling to “straight fucking,” according to Aaron. I spy lots of petting and tickling and hand massages, but there are also some raunchier things going down. I see a dirty dog get a hand job on the pool table. In the bathroom, I stumble on an acid-wash wolf playacting a BJ. From time to time, one furry purposefully leads another by the hand outside the club; I can only imagine what comes next.
But by many accounts, actual fursuit sex is rare. A handful of costumes are custom-built for getting it on, but they aren’t too common. “Those are the tighter costumes, with less padding and accessible crotches,” Frolic attendee and part-time weasel Jack DeVries tells me. For most furry outfits, intercourse would be an unwieldy mess. Jack’s weasel suit, for example, has big muscular haunches that would make sex awkward (if not impossible). And even if it were feasible, Mikey says furries invest too much money and effort to muck up their costumes with bodily fluids. “Have you ever tried to clean synthetic fur?”
Mainstream media tends to focus on the dirtier aspects of furry-dom, all of which are on display at Frolic. Aaron explains: “Frolic is a dance party at a gay nightclub. It’s just one small element of a much bigger subculture.” In the world outside the Stud, furries are similar to LARPers or Renaissance Faire actors; it’s lighthearted role-play.
I meet Patricia Peterson near closing time at the Stud, one of the rare costumed females in attendance. Patricia tells me it took months to build her Ratgirl costume, obsessing over every feminine detail – making the haircut symmetrical, sculpting lush foam eyelashes, etc. She wanted her character to be cute, but it’s not a sex thing. Happily married to a non-furry, Patricia sees Frolic as a night to live out loud behind a protective layer of costuming. “As Ratgirl, I’m more ready to dance, more ready to giggle, more ready to squeak,” she says. “It’s me, but cranked up a little.”
Patricia considers Ratgirl an extension of her natural self (akin to a spirit animal) but some furries adopt totally foreign personas. Jack tells me that many of his friends are nerdy tech guys with passions for anime and video games. Furry outfits lend them a little swagger, a borrowed dose of toughness. “It gives power,” he explains. “I’ve got one friend who likes to play this mean, aggressive wolf. Guy is a total sweetheart in real life.”
The Stud’s Mikey is currently in the market for a new fursuit (he muddied up his bunny costume on a whiskey-fueled Easter misadventure). Though he doesn’t consider himself a true furry, he relishes the chance to be someone else for a night. “When I put on a fursuit, it’s like dressing in drag,” he says. “I can become one scary bitch.”
After my first Frolic, I return again, staying until almost closing. This may seem odd for a straight guy with little interest in role-play – certainly my girlfriend raised an eyebrow – but goddammit, Frolic is fun.
Here’s the appeal: It’s a trippy, vibrant contrast to so many forgettable nights on the town. My fears of being an outsider are quickly assuaged; if you’re respectful, all are welcome under Frolic’s big tent. For a couple of evenings, I have the rare opportunity to be immersed in someone else’s ornate subculture.
Jack asks if I’d be willing to wear a fursuit to Frolic, which gives me pause.
I used to dress up in a plush aardvark costume for my college job at FAO Schwarz, dancing, waving, and hugging kids. I remember my self-consciousness slipping away inside the suit. It certainly wasn’t a turn-on, but that’s beyond the point. I could be a guy who didn’t mind dancing in public, who lacked inhibitions, who was fun and free-spirited. I can understand the allure.
But would I take it to the next level? Sadly, no. I honestly don’t have enough passion for a real costume (not to mention time, energy, and cash). While I’m happy to whip up some construction-paper headgear, drink too much gin, and mingle with the fur-suited masses, I suspect that’s my limit.
No judging.
I look at my sad, home-brewed bunny ears; they’re like a tuxedo T-shirt at a black-tie gala. What am I doing?
http://www.thebolditalic.com/Jesse_Hirsch/stories/1982-plush-life
Last October, as my birthday party wound down, two mischievous friends suggested we migrate over to Frolic, a monthly event where furries from all over the Bay converge. I was nowhere near drunk enough. “So you’re suggesting I spend my birthday at a gay nightclub, gawking at a bunch of guys in animal costumes? I have a better idea: not doing that.”
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a little cultural tourism as much as the next guy – monster truck rallies, Ice Capades, etc. – but this was too much. My loose understanding of furry-dom was that people dress up like sports mascots and have freaky anthropomorphic sex. That’s kind of a private thing. It struck me these folks might want one safe night where they didn’t have to deal with outsiders.
So we skipped Frolic that night, but my amigos wouldn’t let it drop. Over the next month, they assured me we would approach the event with maximum sensitivity, and the moment we felt like intruders, we’d bail. They knew they’d planted the seed, and curiosity would get the best of me. I caved.
After the blasé ticket taker stamps our hands with a fluorescent paw, it takes roughly two minutes to feel overwhelmed. The Stud is a Ralph Bakshi cartoon come to life, a psychedelic Noah’s Ark of garish upright mammals. Dozens of furries are grinding, bouncing, and canoodling while club music is spun by a DJ in a pink and green bunny suit. Grainy old cartoons and sinister clips from Donnie Darko loop on the wall. In the middle room, a trio of foxes dry-humps on the pool table amidst piles of stuffed animals. A blind man wearing a rubber suit and leopard headdress canes his way through the crowd.
Suddenly, a long-haired feline the color of a cherry Popsicle locks me in his sights. Dragging his oversized paw down my chest, he growls out a provocative, “Me-ow!” I need a drink.
After a pint glass of gin (Stud barkeeps are brutally generous), my fear is replaced by swelling appreciation for the furries’ mad artistry. An upright horse is dressed in full bus-casual: hooves extended from a pinstriped shirt that is carefully tucked into polyester slacks. A badass wolf wears acid-washed jeans, a leather jacket, and a T-shirt that says “Furr Fagg.” A posse of scary dudes don rubber Doberman masks paired with S&M hardware or skintight wetsuits. I see a dejected-looking skunk moping about like post-heartbreak Pepé Le Pew. One sporty tiger jaunts around in a hoodie (my friend suggests it’s a Treyvon Martin tribute). A wounded giraffe wears a bandage.
But let’s not forget the foxes, lots and lots of foxes. There are foxes with menacing snarls, winking foxes, and foxes with goofy grins. There’s a lady fox, a motocross fox, a Robin Hood fox, and a fox dressed as a Boy Scout. One fox is in swim trunks with a bulge the size of a small dog. A fox with glowing eyes perches on a barstool surveying the crowd with detached arrogance. He has reason to be cocky: We later see him talking, his animatronic jaw moving in sync with every word. This is some next-level shit.
Frolic is the creation of Aaron Merritt, aka DJ Neon Bunny. Aaron is an organizer of Bunny Jam, the now-defunct dance party staged in quirky, off-brand locations (like abandoned fire stations and porn warehouses). The jams were invitation-only, costume-mandatory – if you showed up sans costume, you’d get “bunnified” at the door. There were strong sexual undertones: Stud co-owner Mikey McElhaney says the bunnies hooked up like, well, bunnies.
Aaron also used to organize Further Confusion, the annual furry convention in San Jose. This massive event is about networking and merch, a place to connect with costumers and learn about the newest innovations in fur. There are panel discussions and workshops; everything is fairly PG.
With Frolic, Aaron tries to create an event that spices up Further Confusion’s approach with the free-spirited, dance party feel of Bunny Jam.
A flag on the wall proclaims Yiff!, a verb that can mean anything from snuggling to “straight fucking,” according to Aaron. I spy lots of petting and tickling and hand massages, but there are also some raunchier things going down. I see a dirty dog get a hand job on the pool table. In the bathroom, I stumble on an acid-wash wolf playacting a BJ. From time to time, one furry purposefully leads another by the hand outside the club; I can only imagine what comes next.
But by many accounts, actual fursuit sex is rare. A handful of costumes are custom-built for getting it on, but they aren’t too common. “Those are the tighter costumes, with less padding and accessible crotches,” Frolic attendee and part-time weasel Jack DeVries tells me. For most furry outfits, intercourse would be an unwieldy mess. Jack’s weasel suit, for example, has big muscular haunches that would make sex awkward (if not impossible). And even if it were feasible, Mikey says furries invest too much money and effort to muck up their costumes with bodily fluids. “Have you ever tried to clean synthetic fur?”
Mainstream media tends to focus on the dirtier aspects of furry-dom, all of which are on display at Frolic. Aaron explains: “Frolic is a dance party at a gay nightclub. It’s just one small element of a much bigger subculture.” In the world outside the Stud, furries are similar to LARPers or Renaissance Faire actors; it’s lighthearted role-play.
I meet Patricia Peterson near closing time at the Stud, one of the rare costumed females in attendance. Patricia tells me it took months to build her Ratgirl costume, obsessing over every feminine detail – making the haircut symmetrical, sculpting lush foam eyelashes, etc. She wanted her character to be cute, but it’s not a sex thing. Happily married to a non-furry, Patricia sees Frolic as a night to live out loud behind a protective layer of costuming. “As Ratgirl, I’m more ready to dance, more ready to giggle, more ready to squeak,” she says. “It’s me, but cranked up a little.”
Patricia considers Ratgirl an extension of her natural self (akin to a spirit animal) but some furries adopt totally foreign personas. Jack tells me that many of his friends are nerdy tech guys with passions for anime and video games. Furry outfits lend them a little swagger, a borrowed dose of toughness. “It gives power,” he explains. “I’ve got one friend who likes to play this mean, aggressive wolf. Guy is a total sweetheart in real life.”
The Stud’s Mikey is currently in the market for a new fursuit (he muddied up his bunny costume on a whiskey-fueled Easter misadventure). Though he doesn’t consider himself a true furry, he relishes the chance to be someone else for a night. “When I put on a fursuit, it’s like dressing in drag,” he says. “I can become one scary bitch.”
After my first Frolic, I return again, staying until almost closing. This may seem odd for a straight guy with little interest in role-play – certainly my girlfriend raised an eyebrow – but goddammit, Frolic is fun.
Here’s the appeal: It’s a trippy, vibrant contrast to so many forgettable nights on the town. My fears of being an outsider are quickly assuaged; if you’re respectful, all are welcome under Frolic’s big tent. For a couple of evenings, I have the rare opportunity to be immersed in someone else’s ornate subculture.
Jack asks if I’d be willing to wear a fursuit to Frolic, which gives me pause.
I used to dress up in a plush aardvark costume for my college job at FAO Schwarz, dancing, waving, and hugging kids. I remember my self-consciousness slipping away inside the suit. It certainly wasn’t a turn-on, but that’s beyond the point. I could be a guy who didn’t mind dancing in public, who lacked inhibitions, who was fun and free-spirited. I can understand the allure.
But would I take it to the next level? Sadly, no. I honestly don’t have enough passion for a real costume (not to mention time, energy, and cash). While I’m happy to whip up some construction-paper headgear, drink too much gin, and mingle with the fur-suited masses, I suspect that’s my limit.
No judging.
Categories: News
Fire Dog and Fire Pole
So get this guy, completed by Wookiee this little figure has his member put around that fire pole (wish it were mine) in a handcrafted sculpt. This is his second furry sculpture and he has an amazing talent that’s for sure. There is no real joke to this working, it gave me a hard-on which means you must have an impressive talent. Now, if you want commissions I did ask him about that so look to the post if he response.
Categories: News
FursonaPod Ep. 43 - When Does the Fandom Go too Far?
In this episode, Rainstar and Xiath give their thoughts on When the fandom is taken too far.
FursonaPod Ep. 43 - When Does the Fandom Go too Far?
Categories: Podcasts
Re: Confession and such
x-no-archive: yes
On 7/23/2012 9:03 PM, This account has been banned because it violated
hi
Categories: News
Re: What happened on [Tard] Phoneyix's LA Love Boat Adventure?
x-no-archive: yes
On 7/23/2012 8:30 PM, This account has been banned because it violated
hi
Categories: News
Re: Nomination - any seconds?
x-no-archive: yes
So? He's not recognized as such by everyone here. There seems to be
some question to the matter of exactly who is the legitimate FNVW.
Categories: News
Furry Proud! Say It Out Loud!
Hello, Papa Bear,
I must say, I love going through all the questions and stories you have received and trying to find one that fits my little dilemma here.
You see, I'm generally a little young to be a furry (just turned 13) and I don't know how to tell my family... They know I draw anthropomorphic creatures and animals and whatnot, but I've been secretly hoping to actually BECOME a furry. You know, go to conventions, have a fursuit, make badges, etc... but I don't know what they'll think. They have already seen my google searches on fursuits and furries but I have to put it on strict search and it doesn't make the situation any better.
I have told some close friends about it and they all think its cool too, but word slipped out from a not-so-good friend into school and I was teased for being a freak and for being kinky and whatnot. I'm proud to be a furry, and am on a bunch of websites like FurAffinity and deviantArt, but that's when nobody but my friends know who I am. I just need your opinion, as I have had so many mixed ones before its making my head spin; should I tell my parents and hope for the best or wait till I'm older and then it will make more sense for me to be into the fandom?
Sincerely, a worried furry,
Alcatraz
* * *
Hi, Alcatraz,
Welcome to the furry fandom. I hope you enjoy your stay :-) By the way, you don’t BECOME a furry; you either are a furry or you aren’t a furry. It doesn’t matter if you have a fursuit or not or if you go to a furcon or not. Those aren’t qualifications; they are just activities. Being a furry is something you ARE not something you DO.
If you have read my previous columns on coming out furry, you know that telling your family about it has to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. You are the best judge of your own parents and how they might take the news. Are they loving, supportive, open-minded people? Or are they hyper-conservative, controlling, unsupportive people? Depending on your answer, you can be more or less open with your furriness with your parents.
I have talked about coming out furry a number of times, so I would like to take this opportunity to make a broad statement about furries and the fandom that you can use when talking with your parents or friends and, hopefully, anyone else can pick up on as an argument for why furries are great.
“WHY FURRIES ARE GREAT” by Grubbs Grizzly (aka Papabear)
I posted on Facebook a while back asking people what a furry was to them. The best response I got was that furries “combine all that is best in animals and humans.” That is absolutely a spot-on description.
People these days treat furries as if they are a new phenomenon when, in truth, there have been furries since ancient times. The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Indians, Chinese, etc. all created stories with gods, demigods, spirits, and other creatures who combined human and animal forms. Why do this? Because human beings have admired the beauty, strength, and grace of animals for thousands of years. Who, for example, has not dreamed of being able to fly like a bird? How about running as fast as a cheetah? Or having the strength of an elephant? It is a very appealing prospect.
This tradition was continued in fables by Aesop and fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. More recently, “funny animals” came about in American comic books and then cartoons such as the famous characters created by people like Walter Lantz, Walt Disney, and Osamu Tezuka, to name just a couple. Science fiction and fantasy has addressed the topic many times as well, from “The Island of Dr. Moreau” by H.G. Wells to the lycanthropes in the “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyer. Movies, TV shows, and comic books featuring what are, essentially, furry characters make billions of dollars for the U.S. and other economies.
So anthro characters are nothing new, by any means. What IS new is that people are now creating their own unique characters, drawing their own art, telling their own stories, making fursuits, and meeting in conventions. The creative energy of the fandom is spectacular, and what is even more fabulous is how anyone can be a furry.
Okay, so why do non-furries treat us so badly in some cases? Mainly, it is because we are out of the ordinary, and society doesn’t like things that are unusual. It is the nature of humans to try to find something that stigmatizes a group of people who are not like them and then use that to accuse them of being inferior or deviant. For example, racists focus on skin color or other physical attributes; people who are prejudiced about Jewish people say they are all money-grubbers; people who don’t like liberals claim they are unpatriotic, and so on. All ridiculous accusations. In the case of furries, what outsiders found was the whole sex thing, so they grabbed onto that and used it as a weapon. If it had not been sex, it would have been something else, but in our case it has been sex because that was something that touches a nerve in many people, especially conservative, uptight people.
What about sex, then? Tell you what: furries are no more sexual than anybody else on the planet, the only difference is we depict sex in our art and literature between characters in furry form because (duh) that is how we see ourselves. What is stupid is that people find this surprising, yet it is no different than what other groups of people do. Fans of Star Wars have fantasies about Princess Leia in her golden bikini; Star Trek fans have also had a long tradition of porn (http://io9.com/5120311/to-boldly-go-there-a-history-of-star-trek-porn-with-clips-[nsfw]), and there is porn for everything from Avatar to Zelda.
Now that the whole sex thing is out of the way, let’s move on to why are furries truly awesome.
Furries are awesome because they are in a fandom that, unlike Star Trek or Star Wars, is not run by a big corporation like Paramount Studios or Lucasfilm Ltd. Therefore, we are not constrained by trademarks (other than not violating existing ones of corporations as in the above) and are free to do as we will.
Furries are awesome because our love for anthro characters makes us a big family. The nature of furry, too, is such that we welcome all species, and this is reflected in our acceptance of all types of people. Since I became active in the community, I have made more friends than I have ever had in my life. Many of them have become like family to me.
Furries are very giving people. If you need some evidence for your parents on how wonderful furries are, here you go:
1. Furries, mostly through convention organizations, have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities: http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Charity
2. Furries are supportive of their local communities, and furcons are very good for local businesses. A recent story about AnthroCon in Pittsburgh featured a fundraising effort led by Uncle Kage to save a local restaurant from closing: http://www.flayrah.com/3993/furry-fans-give-generously-fernando-over-20000-raised.
3. Furries love to entertain and bring joy to kids and families. Fursuiters, for instance, have appeared at children’s charity events. A friend of mine, Tycho Brahe, in Michigan captures the spirit of furry with his performance work, as seen here: http://youtu.be/Cj5EzCWlp4g.
4. And in case anyone ever doubts how true-of-heart a furry can be, all they have to read about is the heroic furry who sacrificed his own life for his mate: http://www.askpapabear.com/1/post/2012/07/hit-and-run-originally-published-7-18-12.html.
Furries are great! The only argument against furries that people make is that we’re different from them. So What?? If we weren’t different, we wouldn’t be furries! Oh, and just to add some more evidence for the argument that furries are great, here is a short list of people who are NOT furries:
Nothing great about these non-furries! So, being a non-furry doesn’t make you superior to furries, as you can see. To date, I have never heard of a mass-murderer or dictator who was a furry. So there.
You know, I could go on and on about why furries are great and why people should accept them for who they are, but I think you got the point, right, Alcatraz? Be furry proud, and if people give you guff about it, tell them some of the things I have outlined here for you today as evidence that the skeptics and critics need to get a clue that furries rule!
Furry Proud! Say it Out LOUD!
Hugs!
Papabear
I must say, I love going through all the questions and stories you have received and trying to find one that fits my little dilemma here.
You see, I'm generally a little young to be a furry (just turned 13) and I don't know how to tell my family... They know I draw anthropomorphic creatures and animals and whatnot, but I've been secretly hoping to actually BECOME a furry. You know, go to conventions, have a fursuit, make badges, etc... but I don't know what they'll think. They have already seen my google searches on fursuits and furries but I have to put it on strict search and it doesn't make the situation any better.
I have told some close friends about it and they all think its cool too, but word slipped out from a not-so-good friend into school and I was teased for being a freak and for being kinky and whatnot. I'm proud to be a furry, and am on a bunch of websites like FurAffinity and deviantArt, but that's when nobody but my friends know who I am. I just need your opinion, as I have had so many mixed ones before its making my head spin; should I tell my parents and hope for the best or wait till I'm older and then it will make more sense for me to be into the fandom?
Sincerely, a worried furry,
Alcatraz
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Hi, Alcatraz,
Welcome to the furry fandom. I hope you enjoy your stay :-) By the way, you don’t BECOME a furry; you either are a furry or you aren’t a furry. It doesn’t matter if you have a fursuit or not or if you go to a furcon or not. Those aren’t qualifications; they are just activities. Being a furry is something you ARE not something you DO.
If you have read my previous columns on coming out furry, you know that telling your family about it has to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. You are the best judge of your own parents and how they might take the news. Are they loving, supportive, open-minded people? Or are they hyper-conservative, controlling, unsupportive people? Depending on your answer, you can be more or less open with your furriness with your parents.
I have talked about coming out furry a number of times, so I would like to take this opportunity to make a broad statement about furries and the fandom that you can use when talking with your parents or friends and, hopefully, anyone else can pick up on as an argument for why furries are great.
“WHY FURRIES ARE GREAT” by Grubbs Grizzly (aka Papabear)
I posted on Facebook a while back asking people what a furry was to them. The best response I got was that furries “combine all that is best in animals and humans.” That is absolutely a spot-on description.
People these days treat furries as if they are a new phenomenon when, in truth, there have been furries since ancient times. The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Indians, Chinese, etc. all created stories with gods, demigods, spirits, and other creatures who combined human and animal forms. Why do this? Because human beings have admired the beauty, strength, and grace of animals for thousands of years. Who, for example, has not dreamed of being able to fly like a bird? How about running as fast as a cheetah? Or having the strength of an elephant? It is a very appealing prospect.
This tradition was continued in fables by Aesop and fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. More recently, “funny animals” came about in American comic books and then cartoons such as the famous characters created by people like Walter Lantz, Walt Disney, and Osamu Tezuka, to name just a couple. Science fiction and fantasy has addressed the topic many times as well, from “The Island of Dr. Moreau” by H.G. Wells to the lycanthropes in the “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyer. Movies, TV shows, and comic books featuring what are, essentially, furry characters make billions of dollars for the U.S. and other economies.
So anthro characters are nothing new, by any means. What IS new is that people are now creating their own unique characters, drawing their own art, telling their own stories, making fursuits, and meeting in conventions. The creative energy of the fandom is spectacular, and what is even more fabulous is how anyone can be a furry.
Okay, so why do non-furries treat us so badly in some cases? Mainly, it is because we are out of the ordinary, and society doesn’t like things that are unusual. It is the nature of humans to try to find something that stigmatizes a group of people who are not like them and then use that to accuse them of being inferior or deviant. For example, racists focus on skin color or other physical attributes; people who are prejudiced about Jewish people say they are all money-grubbers; people who don’t like liberals claim they are unpatriotic, and so on. All ridiculous accusations. In the case of furries, what outsiders found was the whole sex thing, so they grabbed onto that and used it as a weapon. If it had not been sex, it would have been something else, but in our case it has been sex because that was something that touches a nerve in many people, especially conservative, uptight people.
What about sex, then? Tell you what: furries are no more sexual than anybody else on the planet, the only difference is we depict sex in our art and literature between characters in furry form because (duh) that is how we see ourselves. What is stupid is that people find this surprising, yet it is no different than what other groups of people do. Fans of Star Wars have fantasies about Princess Leia in her golden bikini; Star Trek fans have also had a long tradition of porn (http://io9.com/5120311/to-boldly-go-there-a-history-of-star-trek-porn-with-clips-[nsfw]), and there is porn for everything from Avatar to Zelda.
Now that the whole sex thing is out of the way, let’s move on to why are furries truly awesome.
Furries are awesome because they are in a fandom that, unlike Star Trek or Star Wars, is not run by a big corporation like Paramount Studios or Lucasfilm Ltd. Therefore, we are not constrained by trademarks (other than not violating existing ones of corporations as in the above) and are free to do as we will.
Furries are awesome because our love for anthro characters makes us a big family. The nature of furry, too, is such that we welcome all species, and this is reflected in our acceptance of all types of people. Since I became active in the community, I have made more friends than I have ever had in my life. Many of them have become like family to me.
Furries are very giving people. If you need some evidence for your parents on how wonderful furries are, here you go:
1. Furries, mostly through convention organizations, have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities: http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Charity
2. Furries are supportive of their local communities, and furcons are very good for local businesses. A recent story about AnthroCon in Pittsburgh featured a fundraising effort led by Uncle Kage to save a local restaurant from closing: http://www.flayrah.com/3993/furry-fans-give-generously-fernando-over-20000-raised.
3. Furries love to entertain and bring joy to kids and families. Fursuiters, for instance, have appeared at children’s charity events. A friend of mine, Tycho Brahe, in Michigan captures the spirit of furry with his performance work, as seen here: http://youtu.be/Cj5EzCWlp4g.
4. And in case anyone ever doubts how true-of-heart a furry can be, all they have to read about is the heroic furry who sacrificed his own life for his mate: http://www.askpapabear.com/1/post/2012/07/hit-and-run-originally-published-7-18-12.html.
Furries are great! The only argument against furries that people make is that we’re different from them. So What?? If we weren’t different, we wouldn’t be furries! Oh, and just to add some more evidence for the argument that furries are great, here is a short list of people who are NOT furries:
- Osama bin Laden
- Theodore Kaczynski (the Unabomber)
- Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City bomber)
- Jeffrey Dahmer (serial killer and cannibal)
- Ted Bundy (killer and necrophiliac)
- Idi Amin
- Joseph Stalin
- Adolf Hitler
- and the ever-so-lovely James Holmes
Nothing great about these non-furries! So, being a non-furry doesn’t make you superior to furries, as you can see. To date, I have never heard of a mass-murderer or dictator who was a furry. So there.
You know, I could go on and on about why furries are great and why people should accept them for who they are, but I think you got the point, right, Alcatraz? Be furry proud, and if people give you guff about it, tell them some of the things I have outlined here for you today as evidence that the skeptics and critics need to get a clue that furries rule!
Furry Proud! Say it Out LOUD!
Hugs!
Papabear
Me and my buddy Alec: Best Megaplex Evar
Categories: News
We have our own Olympic games: The Animalympics! - This is a charming animated feature film with a memorable musical score and lovable humorous characters. (full movie, 78 min.)
Categories: News
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1st ep of "A Confursation," a new furry interview podcast I'm doing. Ep. 1 with Kyoujin Hyena
or direct link: http://draggetshow.podomatic.com/entry/2012-07-29T03_52_10-07_00
So yeah, in between Dragget Shows every now and then, I'll have an extended conversation with different furries and post them for your enjoyment! If you're interested in being inverviewed, let me know!
In this one, I interview Kyoujin, an artist, musician, and also a QA tester in the games industry. Enjoy! His FA and YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/kyoujin/
http://www.youtube.com/user/KyoujinTheHyena/videos
submitted by xandertheblue[link] [comment]
Categories: News